Columnist Steve Chapman’s “Beyond the imperial presidency” (Commentary, Dec. 25) blames the executive branch for going too far in the war on terror.
The problem is just the opposite.
Our pre-Sept. 11, 2001, legal system renders us foolishly vulnerable to lawless terrorists. This forces the administration to downgrade charges against American traitors such as Jose Padilla and Yasser Hamdi, and conduct common-sense operations such as data mining and monitoring suspicious communications undercover.
It is clear now why the National Security Agency operation has required presidential authorization. Data mining, commonplace in the private sector, has been off-limits to the government due to civil libertarian paranoia. President Bush wisely realizes such programs are necessary to protect Americans from being slaughtered by the highly networked Al Qaeda operatives who won’t rest until they destroy us.
Writers like Chapman, who demonize our defenders, aid and abet our enemies. They should wake up and see the obvious: that their enemies are out to get them and the government is trying to protect them, in spite of themselves.
